Glow-discharge device



Jan. 13, 1931.

c L. DAVIS GLOW DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Aug. 14, 1928 INVENTOR. dfie/am Q, Dew/Io BY a I A TTORN f Patented 1511. 13, 193 1 cinema 1.. news, OFWASHING'TON, premier or coLUmBIA,. Ass1Guon f rowmnb glow-discharge devices employed in-systems' RADIO, Ill'Ca-OF. YORK, N. CORPORATION OF snow-DISCH RG ;n vIcE-i hpplic ationfiled August-14, 1928'. .Serial-No. 299.501.

My -invention relates to glowdischarge devices ingeneral and more specificallyjto forthe reception of signaling energy.-

-An object. of my invention is to provide a glow-di"sch'arge device which may be employed in reception of signal impulses.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide'a glow-discharge de i hi h may be employed in the system of television recepf tion. of my invention described inmy. copending application Serial N0. 300,979, filed August 21, 1928, entitled Signaling system.

Still another object ofmy invention is to provide a glow-discharge device having certai'n'frequency characteristics. V a A better understanding can. be had of the glow-discharge. device of my invention by referring to the specification following and to the accompanying drawings, wherein, Figure 1 is 'an illustration of one form of theglow-discharge device of my invention;

' Fig. 2 is an illustration showing the glowdischarge deviceof myinvention; Fig; 3 showsanother form of the glow-discharge device of my invention}. Fig. 4 is an illus-' tration showing a cross-section of the glowdischarge device of my invention and Fig.

.5 is a graph which shows the operation of the glow-discharge device of my invention.

In systems for the transmission and reception' of pictures, moving pictures andviews, it. has heretofore been the practice to employ elaborate arrangements and complicated a paratus to obtain satisfactory-re- 3 sults. nmy copending application Serial for the reception of television signals is de- 4o respective light and dark areas.

in the intensity of the light and dark areas No. 300Q979, filed August 21, 1928, a system scribed. In this. system, signal impulses of diiierent frequency values correspond to the Variations iseXhibite'd as variations in the intensity of the current of'the respective frequency. In the receiving system of my; invention, vari .ations infrequency cause different areas ofa glow-discharge device to be energized. Variations in the intensity of the current systems for the-transmission and.

causes av corresponding variation in the intensity. of the illuminated area in the-glowdischarge device of my invention.

.. The glow-discharge device. ofi'my inven-' mayhavea thin side wall or'be designed as acondenser lens, or an enlarging lens to re- 'the'sid'e wall may be ground in such a manner that'the picture to be received Will be easily discernible. A winding ,2 is supportedinside container 1. :Winding 2 has frequency characteristics corresponding to the frequency characteristics of the trans- .mitted light current variations or the complete band covered by the modulations of different frequency at the transmitting station, the: minimum 'frequency oat-the transmitted light variations; corresponding to the length oi the winding 2.- Container 1 is evacuated of air and filled with an inert gas such as neon ;or krypton. In the operation of the 'glow discharge device of my -invention the terminals 3 and 4 may be connected-- tract the light as desired. The interior of 1 to the source of frequency variations and accompanying variatlons of energy. The minimum frequency value of 'wmdlng 2 may correspond to approximately one half the wave length of the minimum frequency transmitted. The energy distribution,represented as energy maximum and minimum response changes with the frequency. Assuming that terminal3 isat a minimum value of energy at a given instant, the maximumenergy may energize winding 2 at m. A decrease in thefrequency of the source of supply-would cause the energization of winding 2 at n. Further decreases in frequency would energize winding 2 at O; P, Q, and B respectively. 7

Frequency values between these decreases would energize the winding 2 at intermediate points. The intensity'of the energization' e'xhlbited' as luminous radiation corresponds.

tothevalues of the energy accompa-nymg' the respective frequencies. I The operation is similar to standing wave phenomena Where" accompanying the respective -.frequenc1es current nodes and. antinodes are exhibited which .move along the length of the conductor corresponding to. changes in frequency of the source of exciting energy.

Figs. 2 and 3 show other forms .of the glow-discharge device of my invention. In Fig. 2, the container 1a similar to container 1 of Fig. 1, encloses winding 2a which corresponds to winding 2 with the difference in respect to the plane in which the greater lengths of winding 20 is positioned. In Fig. 3 windings 2 and 2a are adjacent. Two individual containers 1 and 111. may be employed and positioned in such a manner that the greater lengths of one winding are in a horizontal plane while corresponding lengths of the other windings are placed in the vertical plane. By such an arrangement it is possible to. cause the energization of windings 2 and 2a and the area of luminous radiation to be'exactly and clearly defined. Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings shows a crosssection of the glow-discharge device of my invention. In this illustration a slight modification is shown. Container 1 may be'of suitable glass, quartz, boro-silicate or other silicate composition. .Windings 5 and 6 may be provided wherein the greater lengths of the windings lie in the vertical and horizontal planes respectively.

Fig. 5 is a graph which shows the operation of the glow-discharge device of my invention. The frequency is represented by the vertical line F. The frequency characteristics, or indirectly the length of the winding.

C, is represented by the horizontal line. The

area energized by the maximum energy value at a given instant is represented by the line response. It is intended toshow that the different points, along the length of the winding where luminous radiation is exhibited, is a function of the frequency. A similar graph could represent the relation between the strength of the energy at each frequency response and the intensity of the luminous radiation.

Many modifications of the glow-discharge device ofmy invention are possible without departing from the scope of my invention. A common electrode may be employed adjacent to the windings of the glow discharge device.

A metal plate could be employed adjacent to inductive winding 2 and the source of energy electrically connected to terminals 3 or 4 and the metal plate. Container '1 may be of a boro-silicate composition, having the sides parallel to the greater lengths of winding 2,

comprising a composition including an element or compound capable of conducting electrical energy. The glow-discharge device of my invention having inherent frequency characteristics may be employed in suitable circuit arrangements comprising inductance and capacity or combinations thereof. In Fig. 5

of the accompanying drawings the numerical values of IFv and cm arbitrary.

other, the

I realize that many modifications of the glow-discharge device of my invention are possible without departing from the scope of my invention and it is to be understood that my invention shall not be limited to the accompanying drawings but only as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by {letters Patent of the United States is as folows:

1. A glow discharge device comprising a pair of screen like electrodes, each of said electrodes being constituted by an inductance member having the turns thereof disposed parallel one to the other the electrodes being disposed with the turns of one inductance member extending in a direction substantially normal to the turns of the other inductance member, and an envelope containing a luminously responsive gas enclosing said inductance members.

2. In a glow discharge device, a pair of inductance elements disposed in diiferent parallel planes, one of said inductance elements including a multiplicity of turns having portions thereof extending parallel one to the other of said inductance elements being constituted by similarly related turns with the turns of one inductance element extending in a direction different from the direction of the turns of the other inductance element, and having luminously responsive In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHESTER L. DAVIS. 

